I need help on this one too. Any one willing to get me started? THANKS!
Potassium is a mineral that helps the kidneys function normally. It also plays a key role in cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle contraction, making it an important nutrient for normal heart, digestive, and muscular function. A test for the level of potassium in the blood is not perfectly precise. Moreover, the actual level of potassium in a person’s blood varies slightly from day to day. Normal levels of potassium range from 3.7 mEq/L to 5.2 mEq/L.
(Note mEq/L represents milliequivalents per liter – which is just a type of concentration measurement.)
a) What does the phrase “statistically significant” mean? Explain.
b) If nine measurements for Jason were taken on different days with levels (mEq/L) given by 3.6, 3.7, 5.1, 5.6, 5.4, 4.7, 4.6, 3.8, and 5.2 respectively what is a 95% confidence level for his mean potassium level?
c) Do you think his potassium levels are normal? Explain.
This was already posted.
Where???? was this posted?
I was unaware of that. K
I apologize for any confusion. The previous question you mentioned was not posted here. Let's now address your questions:
a) To understand the meaning of "statistically significant," we need to look at the field of statistics. In statistics, when a result is described as statistically significant, it means that the observed difference or relationship between variables is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone. In other words, there is evidence to support the presence of a true effect or relationship.
Statistical significance is typically determined using a statistical test (such as a t-test or chi-square test) that calculates a probability value called a p-value. If the p-value is below a predetermined threshold (typically 0.05), the result is considered statistically significant.
b) To determine a 95% confidence level for Jason's mean potassium level, we can use the following steps:
1. Calculate the mean (average) of the nine measurements: (3.6 + 3.7 + 5.1 + 5.6 + 5.4 + 4.7 + 4.6 + 3.8 + 5.2) / 9 = x
2. Calculate the standard deviation of the nine measurements: (sqrt((1/(9-1)) * ((3.6-x)^2 + (3.7-x)^2 + (5.1-x)^2 + (5.6-x)^2 + (5.4-x)^2 + (4.7-x)^2 + (4.6-x)^2 + (3.8-x)^2 + (5.2-x)^2)))
3. Determine the margin of error by multiplying the standard deviation by the appropriate critical value for a 95% confidence level. The critical value can be found in a t-table.
4. Calculate the lower and upper bounds of the confidence interval by subtracting and adding the margin of error, respectively, to the mean.
c) To determine if Jason's potassium levels are normal, we need to compare them to the normal range provided in the question (3.7 mEq/L to 5.2 mEq/L). If the calculated confidence interval from step b (lower and upper bounds) falls within this range, then we can conclude that his potassium levels are normal. If the confidence interval falls outside of the normal range, it suggests that his potassium levels may not be within the expected range.